J.D. Rhoades Reviews

Added October 5, 2007

Safe And Sound

Author: J.D. Rhoades
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Available At: Bookstores Everywhere
Publishing Date: July 2007
Genre: Fiction: Suspense/Thriller
Format: Hardcover
Price: $23.95
ISBN-10: 0-312-35489-4
ISBN-13: 9780312354893
Reviewer: Phillip Tomasso III

Normally when I write an interview, I don't give readers any personal information about me. After all, the review has nothing to do with me; it's about the novel and the author. But when I first got into reading, I read nothing but bestsellers. I rarely tried a book by an author I'd never heard of. One of my favorite's was (is) Lee Child and his <>Jack Reacher series. Anyway, once I started writing reviews, I received copies of books by authors I'd never heard of before. And what I realized is that the NY Times Bestseller List has nothing to do with talent as much as it does with popularity.

And what does that have to do with J.D. Rhoads and his latest thriller, Safe And Sound? Although he's authored a couple of other books, I had never heard of him. So when I opened the book to page one, I didn't know what to expect. I mentioned Lee Child earlier because I soon found Rhoades has a similar style. And his main character, Jack Keller, is a lot like Child's Jack Reacher. I am not saying one is a knock off of the other. I am saying that like Reacher, I love Keller. Fearless on the outside. Somewhat damaged and sensitive on the inside. And both authors know how to demand a reader's attention. Anyway … on to my review …

Marie is excited. As wounded-on-the-job, former police officer, she's just secured her Private Investigator's license. Consulting for her firm is her boyfriend, former Gulf War vet, Jack Keller. Together they secure their first client. A woman's daughter is missing. She is positive the child's father, Sergeant David Lundgren. is responsible. The problem is, the Lundgren is in the service and the army is giving the worried mother the runaround.

Keller uses his connections to discover that the army is telling the truth. No one knows where the Special Forces Lundgren is. But Keller's inquiry tips off government agencies, and it is soon clear that more than a missing girl is at stake.

DeGroot, a mercenary, is on a mission of his own and will stop at nothing until he finds exactly what he is looking for. Working off one lead to the next, he leaves a path of tortured and mutilated corpses in his wake. Eventually his quest for answers leads him to Keller.

With roughly one hundred million dollars at stake, the lives of innocent children, and the safety of those Keller cares about most, Keller is forced to step back into the shell of a person he once was-a killer-if he wants to protect the lives of those he loves. But once he becomes that person again, will it consume his identity forever?

In basically one sitting, in about five hours on a rainy Saturday morning, I read from cover to cover Safe And Sound. Unexpected, and nonstop surprises and action filled the chapters, kept me glued to the pages, and left me feeling anxious about what could possibly happen next. Rhoades created some great characters. His scenes are tight, and fast, and without fluff and filler! Excellent dialogue keeps it real. The tension just builds and builds, and when it finally explodes it's long and satisfying. I know what I must do now, I must get my hands on his first two novels, Good Day In Hell, and The Devil's Right Hand.

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